Base or support for gem-settings.



H. AGKERMAN.

BASE OR SUPPORT FOR GEM SETTINGS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1913.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

IN [/5 IV 701? He hry Woke/971a.

HENRY ACKERMAN, OF CLIFTON PARK, NEW JERSEY.

BASE 0R SUPPORT FOR GEEK-SETTINGS.

Application filed September 27, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY ACKERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clifton Park, vVeehawken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bases or Supports for Gem-Settings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved base or support for a gem-setting to be used for articles of jewelry and on ornamental work in general; and the primary object thereof is to provide a base or support which can be easily and cheaply made and at the same time have the various parts constituting the same united to one another in the most advantageous manner for purposes of both construction and display.

In order to illustrate and describe my invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification; the same characters being used to indicate the same parts on all the views.

-On said drawings Figure 1 is a plan of my improved base or support. showing the general appearance thereof; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken centrally through Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a setting carrying a gem and designed to be mounted in the base.

My base or support includes a center 1 of especial shape inclosed by a plurality of concentric rings 2. T he center 1 is joined to the inside of the innermost or smallest ring at a number of points; and the several rings are united to one another by connecting portions in the shape of short bars 3. The rings are all in one plane; but the center 1 is depressed or bulges downward when the base occupies 4 the position shown in Fig. 2. This center receives the setting shown in Fig. 3 which carries the gem, and obviously the setting may be secured to the center 1 by soldering or otherwise.

The parts above mentioned are formed out of a single blank of metal by means of suitable mechanism and are joined to one another in a manner that is best suited to produce a structure of this type. When finished the top and bottom faces of the rings are flush with one another; but the center 1 not only bulges downward below the level of the bottoms of the rings, but its top, which lies in a single plane, is below the top face of the innermost ring. As a result, the top Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Serial No. 782.136.

faces of the rings are carried well above the top of the center, making the rings the most prominent parts of my base, and giving an effect that will be pointed out later.

The rings are shown as square or rectan-- gular in cross section, and the connecting bars 3 are of considerably less thickness than the rings. The bottom of these short bars is flush with the bottom of the rings; consequently the tops of the bars are below the top faces of the rings. The bars are therefore very inconspicuous; and in fact are practically invisible when the base is made up, although I give them suflicient dimensions to enable them to hold the rings together as securely as the object of my inven- I tion requires.

The center 1 comprises a plurality of sections 1 of scallop-like shape, having narrow upper faces flush with one another; but all below the top face of the inner ring as above stated. These upper faces of the center 1 are indicated by the numeral 5, and it will be seen that the center is secured to the innermost ring 2 at the middle points of the sections; all of which curve toward the inside of the support. From the inner edges of these faces 5 the sections 4 curve inward and downward to give the bulging effect which has been described'in a previous paragraph of this specification. portions of the scallop-like sections dare designed to form radial spaces 6 leading to the middle opening 7 of the center 1, this part being perforated as shown. This middle opening is of relatively large size, and the diameter thereof may be increased somewhat by not allowing the sections 4: to run together into a point where they are joined to one another. Instead I make them intersect in a short edge 8 on top and extending downward and inward, and at the bottom there is a minute notch 9 between the ends of any two of them. Between the notch and the edge 8 there is a small extent of surface which provides a blunt termination.

'One form of setting by which the gem is associated with the base is illustrated in Fig. 3; and comprises a body 10 and prongs 11 which engage the gem 12 on all sides. The body 10 consists preferably of sections, each shaped'to fit into one of the scalloplike sections 4; and when the body is secured in position, the prongs 11 will carry the gem well above the top of the rings 2. Other forms of settings may also be employed and The inward extending secured in other ways to the base 1; as my invention resides in the base, and not in the setting used with it.

By means of such a manner of connecting and structurally arranging the above-mentioned parts I obtain a fancy base, well adapted'for ornamental purposes, having a center which is suitably constructed to receive and carry the setting which holds the gem, and a number of parts in the shape of rings surrounding the center, mounted thereon and joined to one another in such a way as to form a border in proper relation to the lower part of the gem setting when the setting and the center 1 are fastenedto each other. The gem setting is carried by the center and is placed so thatit extends upward therefrom, as above stated, and by having the tops of the rings raised above the top faces 5 of the scallop-like sections 4, the setting can be carried low, as it were, and the tops of the-rings 2 given the necessary degree of prominence.

In order to make the rings 2 as conspicuous as possible I polish or burnish the upper faces thereof, so as to give them a bright metallic luster. This expedient. to gether with the fact that the connecting bars 8 have their upper surfaces lowered below the tops of the rings, has the effect of making the bars 3 practically invisible and the elevation of the tops of the rings 2 above the tops 5 of the sections l of the center 1 makes these polished rings prominent also around the setting and thegem, bringing the tops of the rings out into bold relief.

I give my improved base the special construction above set forth simply to obtain the result of making the shining upper faces of the rings 2 as noticeable as possible, while at the same time rendering the short bars 8 and the surfaces efimperceptible to ordinary vision. And I find that a base made in one piece having rings with top faces elevated above the bars connecting them together, and adepressed center to carry the setting afiords a construction that can be readily and cheaplyproduced and accomplishes in an admirable and striking fashion the objects and purposes of this invention. Preferably I make my base or support integral throughout, as indicated on the drawings; striking the base from a single sheet or blank.

\Vhen the base is to be utilized it is mounted with the setting secured to the center 1 on a pin, or'l'avalliere, or whatever the article may be that is to bear the gem. I

(iopiesof this patent may be obtained'forfie cents each, by addressing.the Commissioner of Iatents,

of course do. not wish to be limited to anyparticular shape for the-rings 2 or center 1, so long as the structural relations and effects herein detailed are retained. Obviously the rings 2 might be other'than circular, and other than square or rectangular in cross section, and the center 1 might be varied likewise. I reserve to myself the right to make any such changes as are within the scope and spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure and protect by Letters Patentof the Unit e'd States 1s:'

1. A base or support comprising a-center and a ring surrounding thecenter, the ring and the center being integral with each other, the ring'being of material thickness with-respect to the center, andthe center be- 1 ing so located with respect to the ring that the top of the center is below the top of the ring but above the bottom thereof, and the bottom of the center is below the bottom of the ring. v,

2. A base or support comprising a center and a ring surrounding the same andintegral therewith, the ring being of material thickness with respect to the center, the center having a plurality of scallop-like sections extending inward and joined at the middle points of their outside edges to the inside of the ring, said sections having their top surfaces flush with one another, the center being so located with respect to the ring that the top surfaces of said sections are below the top of the ring, said sections also extending downward and having their inner ends blunt to form a relatively large opening with radial extensions pointing outward past said inner ends.

3. A base or support, comprising a cen ter, a plurality of rings surrounding the ring, said sections having their top faces 7 flush with one ancther, but lowered below the top of the rings, and extending downward and inward and having their inner ends blunt to form a relatively large open-' ing having radial extensions past' said inner ends.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 24th day of" September A. 1918. g V

' HENRY AGKERMAN.

Witnesses:

W LL AM F. NICKEL, GUs'rAv RASMUS,

., Washington, 13.0. 

